When producing cylindrical or conical randomly cross-wound yarn packages, the winding ratio, i.e., the number of revolutions of the yarn package for each back and forth traverse of the yarn being wound, hyperbolically decreases as a function of time when the circumferential speed of the yarn package is maintained constant. Within defined ranges or areas when the winding ratio assumes a whole number value (hereinafter "pattern zone"), so-called winding patterns or mirrors are generated on the yarn package being wound. During time periods of these pattern zones the yarn of several successive wound layers tend to lie on top of each other or to lie very close to each other and result in the yarn package being compacted so that during a dyeing process, for example, irregular dyeing occurs. A further problem is that the yarn which lie on top of or close to each other tend to slip laterally off and become wedged in between each other greatly diminishing the unwinding properties of the yarn package.
It is well known to prevent the formation of yarn patterns during the winding process by means of pattern disruption methods or pattern disruption devices. For instance, to avoid these yarn winding patterns it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,370 and corresponding German Patent Publication DE 39 16 918 A1 to continuously accelerate and decelerate the angular velocity of a grooved drive drum in accordance with a predeterminable periodic function over short intervals starting from a base angular velocity, whereby slippage between the yarn package and the grooved drum occurs both during acceleration and deceleration.
In connection with a device having a friction roller embodied as a grooved roller, it is also known from German Patent Publication DE 42 39 579 A1 to determine with a computer by measurements of the angles of rotation of the yarn package and the grooved roller when, during the winding process, a pattern zone will be encountered causing the generation of yarn pattern windings. During the anticipated pattern zone the yarn package is partially braked relative to the grooved roller causing slippage therebetween, since the yarn package is forced to run at a slower circumferential speed than the grooved roller. However, once the pattern zone has been passed, the brake is released and the yarn package is again driven at the same circumferential speed as the grooved roller without slippage.
A winding device is also known from European Patent Publication EP-B 0 093 258, which has a friction roller that drives the yarn package and a traversing device which is independent thereof. The traversing speed of the traversing device is continuously changed between a maximum value and a minimum value. In addition, the mean value of the traversing speed is suddenly changed at a distance from an anticipated pattern zone so that generation of pattern windings is prevented. After having passed the anticipated time of the pattern zone, the mean value of the traversing speed is then returned to the former mean value.